Natural Beauty and a few pests...

View of Arkansas River from top of Petit Jean Mountain

Except for a few trips through Arkansas and then a brief stay in Hot Springs almost two years ago when we were on our way back from the east coast, David and I have not really explored this state.  As soon as we crossed the state line we stopped at an information center to get some ideas about where we were going.  Like with all the other states we have traveled, you never realize how much there is until you start looking around.  Once again it seemed like we would not have time to do it all.

Top of Cedar Falls, Petit Jean State Park

Cedar Falls

 

Both of us were in the mood for some of that famed Arkansas ‘natural beauty’ and a few quiet, lazy days to enjoy after the past hectic months of visiting and volunteering in Texas.  So we opted for a week in Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas’s first state park and a lovely mountain setting with spectacular views, waterfalls, spring fed streams and unmarred woods.

Along the Cedar Creek National Recreation Trail

A sad but sweet little story gives this state park its name.  Back in the days of the French exploration of the new world, a young French nobleman named Chavet was off to explore America.  His fiancé wanted to wed before the trip so she could accompany him, but Chavet refused fearing for her safety on the journey but promising they would wed when he returned.  The girl had her own ideas though and applied to the ship’s captain disguised as a boy.  She became a cabin boy on the voyage to America.  Her disguise was very good as no one recognized her and the sailors called her ‘Petit Jean’ or little John.

'Natural Beauty'

 

Near the end of their time in the New World, the expedition left the ship at the mouth of the Mississippi River and journeyed inland up the Arkansas River.  There they spent the summer with a friendly Indian tribe who lived atop a mountain.  As the expedition was readying to leave Petit Jean became very ill with a fever and convulsions.  During her delirium her identity was discovered.  Realizing she would not make it back to France she asked to spend her last hours on the mountain top.  She died at sundown the next day and was buried on the mountain that was later named, Petit Jean.  Many years later a low mound of earth with perfectly fitted stones atop it was found in a cove on the east point of the mountain.  It was agreed that the grave was very old and was most likely that of Petit Jean.

Davies Bridge built by the CCC

That is the story of how the park was named but the rest of the story, as with so many of our nation’s national and state parks, lies with the Civilian Conservation Corps.  The trails, several stone bridges plus most of Petit Jean’s buildings were built by the CCC including the visitor center and the beautiful Mather Lodge, named after Stephen Mather, Arkansas native and first head of the National Park service.

Natural Arch on Seven Hollows Trail

Entering the first 'Hollow' on the Seven Hollows Trail

 

Among the several hikes we took in the park, three were designated National Recreation Trails:  the Cedar Falls Trail, the Cedar Creek Trail and the Seven Hollows Trail.  The trails were lush green following bubbling streams and winding through deep forests.  We loved the verdant beauty and that wonderful green smell.  The geology was also interesting - sandstone formations crisscrossed by fractures which were later filled by quartz crystals or iron deposits.



 

We made a little excursion outside the park one day.  We just couldn’t help ourselves as there was a wilderness area only a few miles away.  A beautiful drive on a mostly dirt road took us to Pinnacle Point where the view of the surrounding Ouachita Mountains was fantastic.  We then hiked a several miles into the Flatside Wilderness on the Ouachita National Recreation Trail.  The wilderness was so quiet and we didn’t see anyone on the trail, the classic definition of wilderness – a place where people are only visitors.

View from Pinnacle Point

Dayflowers

 

Alas, all was not perfect.  There was one big downside and a couple of smaller ones to all this paradise.  POISON IVY and ticks and chiggers.  Perhaps not lions and tigers and bears but fearsome all the same.  A few of the trails were so overgrown with poison ivy that there was no way to avoid it except to turn back (which we did a few times).  Poor Maya never got to be off lead and her feet and underside got a good washing every day.  So far, no one has broken out in a rash and the ticks and chiggers were found quickly and dealt with. 

Pioneer Cabin

As the week progressed, the humidity and warmer days started to be a factor adding a constant 'glow' to our hikes.  That combined with the poison ivy put a bit of a damper on our hiking mileage but then we had a little more time to read and enjoy the afternoon rains.   All in all, it was a wonderful time and Petit Jean and the Ouachita Mountains were well worth the visit.  
 

Black Rat Snake along the Cedar Creek Trail
As we came along the snake decided to go tree climbing

Snakes climb amazing well

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:   5

Rain Days:      3  
Total Miles Hiked:   17.88  
Miles of Poison Ivy:  17.53 
Ave. Miles per Day:      3.58
Total Elevation Gain:     2,821
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:   564

 

Leaving West Texas -- From Infinity and Beyond!

Inactive oil rigs 'stacked' near my parents' house in Odessa
The oil boom is winding down in West Texas

Back in Odessa we did some packing and house/RV cleaning, changed the oil in the Honda and generally got ready to go. Washing and packing for a long trip is never easy and now that we take seriously long trips, there is always an amazing amount to do.  But a lot of our stuff does stay ‘packed’ in the RV and that certainly helps.

The night before we left, my brother, Tim and his wife Linda, invited us and mom and dad over to their house for a farewell hamburger cookout.  It was a nice evening with lots of visiting going on, dogs and cats playing, good wine and juicy burgers.  With many hugs and a few tears we said goodbye the next morning and made our way to Abilene State Park.  Rain, high winds and tornadoes were all around the area, but we only ran into rain and a little wind.  Spring is not my favorite time to travel ‘tornado alley’ in an RV.

Spring storm clouds near Dallas

One of my cousins, Mary, moved to Abilene a few years ago and I had not seen her since she moved (or for many years before for that matter).  We had a nice time catching up with each other and she fed us the best biscuits and gravy for breakfast that I think I have ever had.  The coffee was pretty darn good too. 

From Abilene we made a quick stop in the Dallas area to get the new tires on our RV aligned.  Because our Mercedes RV chassis is a little wider than most Mercedes vans, not every dealer can align the tires.  The dealer in Grapevine is one of the few in the state that can do the job.  So we were able to check off the last thing on our list we had to do to get the RV road-worthy for our journey. 
 

The 'gang' at Gloria's
Luther and Pat, Richard, Cindy and David, Resa and Chad, Elizabeth and Byrd
plus Maya

 

Being in Dallas gave me a really fun opportunity to see several of the people I used to teach with in the DFW area when I first started teaching after graduate school.  I don’t want to say how many years it has been since I have seen everyone, but it was way too long.  We all met at Gloria’s in Oak Cliff for wonderful afternoon of catching up and telling lies.

When David and I moved to DFW back in 1986 I first worked at Texas Christian University for Luther Smith and then later at Tarrant County College with Richard Doherty.  At Tarrant County and Collin County Colleges, I taught with fellow adjunct professors, Byrd Williams and Chad Smith who is now at Texas A&M Commerce.  All of them are professors at their respective schools and still making photographs.  It was just wonderful to see them and it felt like no time at all had passed.  "Still crazy after all these years..."
 

After a few margaritas things were in much better focus...

 

From Dallas we had one more appointment to make in Texas before we could head for the state line.  David and I both applied to go to school at Stephen F. Austin State University (Lumberjacks) in Nacogdoches, Texas for the fall semester.  So on May 1 we had a ‘transfer student orientation’ to attend.

For those of you who don’t know, we have decided that this summer will be the last portion of our ‘continuous’ three and a half year RV journey.  We will travel this summer but settle in Nacogdoches for a time and try out the college life.  We still plan to be ‘On the Road with Maya’ every summer but we will be taking some classes and exploring the pineywoods and surrounding areas on the weekends. 

The blog will continue this summer and on into the future but the focus will vary between life in Nacogdoches, going to school and traveling on the road.  And who knows, in a few years we may decide to go back on the road full-time again.

Statue on campus of Stephen F. Austin
 a.k.a. 'Surfing Steve'

We enjoyed our orientation (Go Lumberjacks!), learned a little about the university and registered for classes.  David is taking forestry and wildlife management classes and I will take a digital photo class and yoga.  But first things first – vacation.  To Texarkana, the state line and beyond…

Wrapping up our 3rd Year -- On the Road with Maya

Apple blossoms in the White Mountains of New Mexico

Our peaceful week in Ruidoso went by all too quickly.  The spring weather was all over the place with a few days of high winds, some snow and rain and happily towards the end, some really great days. 

Apples used to be a big crop in the Hondo Valley and Ruidoso area.  Over the years apple production has dropped but there are still orchards and many apple trees have been planted in yards all over town.  Even hiking in the mountains we found a few rogue apple trees in full bloom – remnants left from old mountain homesteads. Though we missed out on the cherry blossoms back east, the apple blossoms gave us quite the show.

 April snow in the White Mountain Wilderness, Argentina Cut-Across Trail

 

Finishing off our week in Ruidoso, we took two long hikes in the White Mountain Wilderness.  It was a good way to start getting our legs back into hiking shape and to wrap up our third year ‘on the road.’  Each year as we have been traveling, an unofficial ‘theme’ evolves.  We never really plan them, but the themes ‘crystallize’ as we journey.

Interpretive sign installed after 2012 Little Bear Fire near Ruidoso
We planned to come to Ruidoso in 2012 but had to change our plans as the fire raged.

Besides being about the newness of the RV life and traveling with our dog, Maya, fire and drought in the west became our focus as we headed from Texas to the northwest part of the country.  We didn't leave Texas that year until mid-June, prime fire season, and were continually changing our plans to avoid the many fires and the choking smoke they produced.

The second year we traveled east.  As we followed the Appalachian Trail and listened to all the stories from the hikers we met, the Appalachian Trail became our theme. That was a very special trip for us as we had not spent very much time in the eastern part of our country and didn’t realize just how beautiful the east was.



 

 The marker at the start of the Appalachian Trail, top of Springer Mountain, Georgia

Our third year we went west again, leaving Texas in early April and spending some time in the southern western states before heading north.  Although we hadn’t realized it when we started out, 2014 was the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.  We discovered this during our time in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico and decided then to try to hike into as many wilderness areas as we could along our way.  The Pacific Crest Trail became part of our theme, too, as we hiked 13 sections of this Mexico to Canada trail with several of those hikes also being in wilderness areas.

David and Maya on the Pacific Crest 'High Trail' in the Ansel Adams Wilderness,
near Mammoth Lakes, California

 

Now would probably be a good time to sum up some of our thoughts and statistics from this year’s journey, the year of the wilderness.  Everyone wants to know what our favorite places were and that is always so hard to narrow down.  There are so many but I’ll give it a try!

The Bristlecone Pine Forest in the Inyo National Forest of California was a big favorite for both of us.  Those 4,000 year-old plus trees are the definition of ‘gnarly.’ And it is so amazing that they can grow in the bare, white dolomitic soil that surrounds them.

Bristlecone Pine Forest, Patriarch Grove, Inyo National Forest
near Big Pine, California

We also loved the wilderness areas around Mammoth Lakes, the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses.  Parts of the Pacific Crest Trail went through this region and these were some of our most scenic hikes.  And while in California, it is never a mistake to make a stop at Sequoia National Park or the Redwoods.

Maya near a smaller sequoia tree

Oregon is always a winner and a new place we visited this year was the Sisters area.  Sisters is a picturesque music and art community nestled just east of three mountainous wilderness areas with the Pacific Crest Trail passing through.

We went to some new places in Montana, one of which was the Jewel Basin.  Although not a wilderness, it was a hiking only area and truly one of the most beautiful places we’ve been.  The Rockies in Canada and the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho finished off our ‘wow’ places for 2014.

Jewel Basin, Montana

 

So after a winter of fun, family and volunteering in Texas, here we are ready to start out on our fourth 'On the Road with Maya' adventure.  It will be fun to see what theme develops this year as we spend time in the Midwest.  This is probably our most ‘loosely’ planned trip yet as we still don’t know much more than we are going to Michigan to visit David’s brother.  But I am confident this journey will eventually have a focus too.  Follow us on the blog as we figure it out.

Maya isn't sure what will happen next...

 

David’s Stats for 2014: (out of Texas hiking and road mileage)
 

Days Hiked     153
Total Miles Hiked    734
Total Elevation Gain     102,770 feet
Number of Wildernesses Hiked   25

Days hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail   13

Miles driven on the RV   9,740

Miles driven on the Honda   10,560

 

Leaving San Antonio and the 'Canyon'

Dewberry blooming near the visitor center at Government Canyon State Natural Area

As Mother Nature would have it, the weather was perfect for our last week at Government Canyon.  Sunny skies, warm days, cool nights, wildflowers popping up everywhere and darn it, it’s time to go! 

 

 

Redbuds blooming and starting to leaf out

 

 

Along with our usual duties, we enjoyed our last week by giving interpretive presentations in the campground in the evenings and leading a Girl Scout hike along the Savannah Trail.  It was sad to say goodbye, but as my mother always says, “It’s best to leave when you still want to stay.  That way you always want to come back.”  And indeed, we do.

 

David shows mammal skulls to campers

 

 

After leaving San Antonio, we drove to Odessa for a week with family and to handle some routine business (taxes and insurance always demand some attention).  Then we took my parents to their cabin in Ruidoso, New Mexico.  My brother and sister-in-law were already at the cabin, so we had a cozy time with 6 people, two dogs and a cat in a small cabin.  David had his birthday at the cabin and we celebrated with cake and a dinner out.

 

Maya is a popular addition to the campground programs 

Now everyone is back in Odessa except for David and Maya and me.  We are planning on a few days of hiking in the mountains, though not today as there was snow in the mountains last night.  The trails are muddy and snowy so we are giving them a day to dry out a little.  Besides, we hear it's cold up there!

 

Bear grass bloom with wasp

 

I know the blog posts have been a bit few and far between lately.  We haven’t been ‘on the road’ as much for one thing and haven’t been doing as many exciting things.  But never fear we have adventures planned very soon.  By the first week of May we will be heading through Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio and up into Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and maybe even Canada.  We haven’t worked out all the details yet, but for sure new places are in store.

 

Maya relaxes in a bed of golden-eye phlox

So for the next few days we will be in New Mexico getting our fill of green chilies and then back to Texas for a couple of weeks to get ‘Silver,’ our RV ready for a long road trip and to stock up for the journey.  Then it’s ‘On the Road with Maya’ one more time.

 

 

A fallen tree 'arch' on the Savannah Loop Trail

A Rainy Spring



Kellen and Tessa looking out at Government Canyon

We are enjoying another rainy morning here in the ‘Canyon’ with birds singing and the smell of blooming agarita wafting through the open windows.  The rain is gentle and sporadic at the moment but the predictions are for thunderstorms this afternoon.  It’s a good day to be ‘off duty.’

 

Golden-eye phlox, an early spring flower

 

Since my previous two blog posts I have had to revise my thoughts about the weather and an early spring.  Although there have been some really nice days, we have had a lot of cool, cloudy and rainy ones.  Lately the trails have been muddy and even closed many days to protect both the natural area (park) and the people.  We haven’t been hiking as much because of the trail closures and are often too busy with our park duties on days that we could hike.  Oh well, it is hard to begrudge rain when we all know a long hot summer is ahead.  And the rain should make the wildflowers beautiful once the sun is out regularly and things start to warm.

 

My brother Tim and his wife Linda have a new puppy 
Gigi and Maya are already good buddies

I don’t want to make it sound like we haven’t had any fun.  That absolutely is not true.  We’ve enjoyed our duties at the state natural area and have made friends with some of the other volunteers.  Not all of the interpretive hikes for school children were ‘rained out,’ so we’ve been out on the trails a few times with the kids.  We’ve even managed some campfires and cookouts at our campsite with friends and family plus several trips into San Antonio to see folks.  

 

Sasha points out a jumping spider to her son Kellen

 

Jumping spider on agarita
photo by Sasha Kodet

 

One of my friends, Sasha, who is very involved on a local level with getting kids out into nature, brought her own children out one day for a hike and some photography at Government Canyon.  Her timing was excellent as it was one of the few sunny days with trails open that we’ve had lately. With phlox, windflower, agarita and mountain laurel blooming along the trail we all had much to see and smell.  Maya had a great time too although she enjoyed smells of a different kind.  

 

Kellen snaps a photo of a grasshopper that jumped on David's leg

Grasshopper
photo by Kellen Cross

 

 

I can’t believe that our time is nearly at an end at Government Canyon State Natural Area.  Just like last year, we haven’t nearly done everything or seen everybody.   We will do our best in the next week but I think we will have to come back again soon. 

 

 

 

Windflower
photo by Tessa Cross



Maya enjoys hanging out with Kellen

 

 

 

 

Campground Host #1

David’s and my duties as park hosts at Government Canyon State Natural Area are a bit different than they were last year.  Where last year we were camped in the ‘host village’ area and worked the fee booth and interpretive programs, this year we are actually staying in the campground and most of our assigned duties are associated with the campground.

 

Home sweet home - until the first of April, anyway

On Friday and Saturday afternoons/evenings we are ‘on duty’ in the campground assisting campers with check-in, answering questions, etc.  Sunday mornings until noon we are also on duty in the campground.  On Monday mornings David has ‘field duties’ which can include cleaning out fire rings, restocking firewood and other maintenance projects while I work in the visitor center store until 1pm.  We also help with children’s hikes and other interpretive programs as needed.  Tuesdays – Thursdays are our days off to hike, do chores, visit friends and whatever else we want.  All in all, not a bad gig!

 

The Cross Family - Kellen, Tessa, Sasha & KC celebrate our first
campfire this year at Government Canyon

 

So far the weather has been better this year than last.  We have had some cold and rain but also some really nice days.  Two weekends since we have been here, the campground has been almost full and the line to get into the natural area has been as much as a 30-minute wait at times.  San Antonio has discovered Government Canyon!  Be forewarned, on a nice weekend earlier is better – if you are coming out to see us or going on a hike, get started before noon.

 

I helped make the "Wild at Heart" race medals



On Valentine’s Day there was a children’s one mile race at the Canyon.  David and I had a fun afternoon helping with this event. It was a beautiful day and one where the parking lots were overflowing and the car line to the entrance booth stretched almost to Galm Road.  The race time was delayed to make sure all who wanted to participate (over 30 children in all) got to run. It was a great day for those ‘Wild at Heart.’

 

 

And they're off!

 

 

While the weather is still having its winter lows and highs, rains and shines I think it is only going to get nicer.  Already we are seeing the grass starting to green, tiny wildflowers with their first blooms and cardinals, phoebes, Carolina wrens and chickadees are waking us up earlier and earlier.  Spring is definitely on its way.

 

 

Maya loves sitting on the deck